BBC Radio 2 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Light Programme.

BBC Radio 2

Sarah Kennedy

The show for early risers - Pause for Thought, Swing Time, Showtune,& entertainment news.

The show for Dawn Patrollers with Pause for Thought, Swing Time, the Showtune,& entertainment news.

The show for Dawn Patrollers with news, Pause for Thought, Swing Time, the Showtune, your comments, travel and entertainment news.

Sarah Kennedy: 08/12/2009

08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Sarah Kennedy, 08/12/2009

On the Dawn Patrol. With a review of the newspapers and Pause for Thought.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

Wake Up to Wogan

Terry Wogan's regular morning broadcast, featuring music, news and chat

Wake Up to Wogan: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Wake Up to Wogan, 08/12/2009

Terry Wogan with music and banter. Includes Pause for Thought.

Ken Bruce

The best in music every weekday with Ken Bruce, with live sessions.

Ken Bruce: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Ken Bruce, 08/12/2009

With a live session from Robbie Williams at the BBC Radio Theatre.

Featuring a live session from Robbie Williams at the BBC Radio Theatre. Plus PopMaster and Tracks of My Years from Martin Kemp.

This morning Ken Bruce invites you to enjoy a live session from Robbie Williams from the BBC Radio Theatre. He'll be playing some songs from his brilliant new album, Reality Killed The Video Star, and some old favourites. Plus all the usual fun including PopMaster and Tracks Of My Years from Martin Kemp.

Robbie Williams performs songs from Reality Killed the Video Star.

Jeremy Vine

Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them

Jeremy Vine: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Jeremy Vine, 08/12/2009

Jeremy discusses flight emissions, drug addiction, serial killers and Christmas lights.

Jeremy discusses cutting flight carbon emissions, drug addiction at work, houses covered in Christmas lights. Plus a discussion on serial killers.

Jeremy discusses cutting flight carbon emissions, drug addiction at work, houses covered in Christmas lights and we also discuss serial killers.

Steve Wright in the Afternoon

Steve Wright's afternoon show with special guests, music and a host of other features

Steve Wright in the Afternoon: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Steve Wright in the Afternoon, 08/12/2009

Noddy Holder, Viscount Linley, the Oldies, The Blog Review, showbiz news and Factoids!

Steve Wright chats to Noddy Holder and Viscount Linley and brings listeners brain-busting Factoids, The Blog Review and the Non-Stop Oldies.

Steve Wright chats to Noddy Holder and Viscount Linley, and brings you brain-busting Factoids, the non stop Oldies, The Blog Review, the national and international news from the world of entertainment, and the best music from across the globe.

Steve Wright

Chris Evans

Chris Evans' drivetime slot, with laughter-inducing chat and music

Chris Evans: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Chris Evans, 08/12/2009

Chris gets into the spirit of Christmas with a winter warming brandy tasting session.

Chris continues to go Christmas crackers and gets into the spirit with a brandy tasting session in the studio.

Chris continues to go Christmas crackers, and tonight he really gets into the spirit with a brandy tasting session in the studio.

Desmond Carrington: The Music Goes Round

Desmond Carrington dips into classics from all musical genres

Desmond Carrington dips into classics from all musical genres from the 1920s to the present day

Desmond Carrington: The Music Goes Round: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Desmond Carrington: The Music Goes Round, 08/12/2009

Desmond marks the 99th birthday of Edmundo Ros on 7 December 2009.

Desmond plays some good tunes and some unexpected ones and this week show's has a Latin American twist, as he marks the 99th birthday of Edmundo Ros on 7 December 2009.

Desmond rummages through his collection of 250,000 titles to share some good tunes, some unexpected ones and a few you may never have heard before. 

This week's show has a Latin American twist, as Desmond marks the 99th birthday of Edmundo Ros on 7 December 2009.

Desmond Carrington

Oldies, featuring a Latin American twist to coincide with yesterday's 99th birthday of Edmundo Ros.

The Radcliffe & Maconie Show

BBC Radio 6 Music

A late-night mix of live sessions, celebrity guests and listener interaction

Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie with a late-night mix of live sessions, celebrity guests and listener interaction

The Radcliffe and Maconie Show

The Radcliffe & Maconie Show: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 6 Music - The Radcliffe & Maconie Show, 08/12/2009

Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconle

The Organist Entertains

Nigel Ogden presents a programme of popular organ recordings

Nigel Ogden presents a programme of popular organ recordings, including pipe and electronic organs

The Organist Entertains: 08/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - The Organist Entertains, 08/12/2009

Nigel Ogden presents a programme of popular organ recordings.

Nigel Ogden presents a programme of popular organ recordings with entertaining pieces from the organ world.

For many people there's nothing quite like entering a church or cathedral and hearing the majestic sound of the organ reverberating around the building. So, on tonight's programme, we'll be hearing just a few of our finest instruments which will be having a particularly busy time during the days leading up to Christmas.

We start with the famous Toccata from the Suite Gothique by Boellmann, as played by John Scott-Whiteley on the superb Hill organ of York Minster. We then travel to Ripon, Hereford, Liverpool, and London taking in a digital instrument in Pasadena, America.

Nigel Ogden

Monty Python's Wonderful World of Sound

Monty Python's Wonderful World of Sound: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC Radio 2 - Monty Python's Wonderful World of Sound, Episode 1

The Mighty Boosh meet Monty Python to tell the story of the group's comedy albums.

The Mighty Boosh meet Monty Python to tell the story of the group's classic comedy albums, which raised the bar for comedy and helped the Pythons break America.

The Mighty Boosh meet Monty Python to tell the story of the classic Python comedy albums.

After their first disappointing experience recording an album with the BBC in 1970, Monty Python signed to Charisma Records (home to Genesis and Viv Stanshall) and made a series of comedy albums that played with the medium, deliberately confused a lot of people and stand up brilliantly today.

In the days before video recorders were commonplace, fans could only enjoy the aural side of Python on repeat. Sketches like Dead Parrot, Nudge Nudge, and Lumberjack Song became regarded as classics on account of the LPs, not the TV show, and it was the albums that eventually broke the Pythons in America.

In this two-part series, Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh talk to the Pythons themselves - Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam - about making the world's first three-sided LP; upsetting John Denver; giving farming in the Middle Ages its groove back; and raising the bar for what comedy albums could do. All from a garden shed in Finchley.

The series also features interviews with Python songwriter Neil Innes, record producers Andre Jacquemin and Alan Bailey, and composers Dave Howman and John Du Prez.

The Mighty Boosh meet Monty Python to tell the story of the Python comedy albums

1/2. Mighty Boosh stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding tell the story of Monty Python's comic LPs, which allowed fans to hear the wacky troupe's sketches repeatedly in an era far predating the arrival of home video. On hand are Python stars Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who discuss the making of the world's first "three-sided LP", upsetting John Denver and giving farming in the Middle Ages its groove back. Plus songwriter Neil Innes, composer Dave Howman and others.
RT DIRECT: Monty Python 's Flying Circus the Audio is available for Â£6.75 (RRP Â£8.80) inc free p&p. Call [number removed] (BT landlines cost 5p per min; other networks vary) or visit [web address removed] and enter code [number removed] at the checkout.
Radio features: pages 128-129

That Western Swing Thing

That Western Swing Thing: Episode 5

Episode 5

BBC Radio 2 - That Western Swing Thing, Episode 5

A look at the 1970s Western Swing revival and the current Western Swing scene.

A look at the 1970s Western Swing revival which was spearheaded by Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel, and the current Western Swing scene.

In the 1930s, when the urban dance halls of America were ringing to the swing sounds of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie, a unique form of dance music was taking hold in the rural South West. Exposed to big band influences through the radio, rural string bands took jazz and big band music and adapted it for their traditional instruments. Country fiddles, banjos and steel guitars played alongside horns, drums and pianos. Also feeding into this music were the diverse cultural influences prevalent in 1930s Texas and Oklahoma. This was an area filled with the sounds of different communities. Czech and German polka, Mexican mariachi, Cajun and blues were all part of the soundtrack of the Southwest and bled into this new style of music, which would later become known as 'Western Swing'. It was a sound which was to become the lifeblood of the Texan dancehall for the next twenty years, and provide America with a musician regarded by many as 'the best band leader of all time' - Bob Wills.

In this five part series Ray Benson, the founder and lead singer of Grammy winning Western Swing band 'Asleep at the Wheel' charts the history and development of this music. He celebrates the people who created, developed and refined the Western Swing sound, and joins some of the players, enthusiasts and fans who are keeping this unique part of America's musical history alive for the next generation.

The series features contributions from Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and The Hot Club of Cowtown plus former members of 'Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys' Johnny Gimble, Herb Remington, Bobby Koefer, Louise Rowe and Leon Rausch.

In the final part of the series Ray Benson remembers Bob Wills' last recording session and his own near meeting with his musical idol. He also traces the 1970s Western Swing revival, which was kick-started by Merle Haggard's album 'A Tribute to the Best Damn fiddle player in the World' in 1970. The album was a huge influence on Ray himself, and moved the musical direction of his band 'Asleep at the Wheel' towards Western swing. 'Asleep at the Wheel' went on to record two tribute albums to Bob Wills, and is now regarded as the world's leading Western swing band, with a history spanning almost 40 years. We hear from members of 'Asleep at the Wheel', and see the band's own influence on subsequent musicians.

The programme also looks at contemporary artists who are performing and recording their own style of Western swing music such as Lyle Lovett, Hot Club of Cowtown, Cornell Hurd and Willie Nelson, whose album 'Willie and the Wheel' was produced by Ray Benson earlier this year.

Ray Benson charts the history and development of Western Swing music

Founder and lead singer of Grammy-winning band Asleep at the Wheel Ray Benson charts the history and development of Western Swing music

5/5. Ray Benson concludes a story of Western swing with a look at 
Bob Wills 's final recording and the 1970s revival kick-started by Merle Haggard 's 1970 LP A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (Or My Salute to Bob Wills ).

Janice Long

Great music and chat, with a weekly interview and Spoken Word Session every Wednesday

Music you love, plus great guests and a weekly Spoken Word Session that you won't hear anywhere else

Janice Long: 09/12/2009

09/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Janice Long, 09/12/2009

With music, chat, Tunes of the Unexpected and listeners' texts and emails.

Alex Lester

Weekday morning music and entertainment with Alex Lester

Alex Lester: 09/12/2009

BBC Radio 2 - Alex Lester, 09/12/2009

Tim Smith sits in for Alex Lester with music and conversation.

Night time music and conversation as Tim Smith sits in for Alex Lester.

Music, entertaining conversation and - at 3.30am - Pause for Thought - with Tim Smith sitting in for Alex Lester.

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08/12/2009

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